Friday, February 5, 2010

Within the last decade, Filipino Manny Pacquiao has not only taken on and defeated a trail of greats on his block (super-featherweight and below), but after running out of opposition, subsequently decided to get some northern exposure by going up in weight and being a bully in that neck of the woods (lightweight - welterweight) as well. Such an effort has earned him every accolade from "Fighter of the Year", to "Fight of the Year", to "Best KO of the Year", and beyond. With all of those notches under his belt, one would figure there would be no room for more. Well, think again! BWAA (Bowing Writers Association of America) has recently listed the fightin' Filipino as "Fighter of the Decade", giving him virtually every accolade worth discussing. Recent controversy about the possible usage of performance enhancement substances has gotten the attention of many, but this is just another indication that not everyone believes everything they hear. True or false, Pacquiao is innocent until proven guilty. That being said, join me in tippin' my hat to the sports official 'little-big man'.

Mayweather/Mayweather: Signed, Sealed.....Delivered?

Floyd Mayweather jr. has finally decided to sign the contract to face Shane Mosley in a showdown that his years in the making. These two men probably represent the best talent the welterweight division has seen, or at least very close. It took Mayweather quite a while to do it, and truth be known, extra media attention and a few extra dollars in his favor were the culprit, but whatever the case, the time has come, and this will be the biggest test he has ever faced, bar none. Mosley has gone on record with every source willing to listen about his desire to face Mayweather. Now that the fight is signed and sealed, it'll be awfully interesting to see who will actually deliver! I think the only SAFE bet in this one is to put your money on the guy who's name starts with an "M". (Either could win, and anything else is a major question)!?!?!?!

Can Pacquiao Stop Clottey?

When word hit that Pacqiuao would be facing Clottey, the odds were initially a landslide. A few days later, those odds began to narrow a bit when it was made public knowledge that Pacquiao would do so at welterweight limit of 147lbs with no catchweight. Despite Pacquiao giving up what could amount to 15lbs on fight night and a slimmer odds margin, at least one source has gone on record stating that he thinks Pacquiao will actually knock the granite-chinned Ghanaian native out. That source? Head trainer Freddie Roach. Roach seems to think the weaknesses he found in video studies can be exploited quite easily by Pacquiao. Can't say that I totally agree, but hey, I'm the same guy that thought Cotto had a chance. Rarely has Roach ever been wrong. I don't know if he'll keep the streak alive with this call, but even if he doesn't, there's another one I think he'd rather live to see another day. That other streak? The one that counts....Victory itself.

Everything Is Bigger In Texas: (Pacquiao/Clottey Undercard)

Natives have always said that "everything is bigger in Texas", but come the night of March 13th, the rest of the world may get a chance to realize that as well after seeing the huge undercard being put together by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. Pacquiao/Clottey is the main course, but among the many appetizers slated to be served is Alphonso Gomez versus Jose Luis Castillo, Antonio Margarito versus Carson Jones, and a host of others. This effort was bolstered with the a huge promotion in Mexico City that took place in a very grand fashion, followed by more promotions that will potentially set the bar higher for future fights to come. Some promotions are far-fetched. Others go too far. So far, this one has simply been far out. It'll be interesting to see if the fight itself goes 'far enough' to meet the distance. Now that'll be big!

Pacquaio Changin' Positions

Manny Pacquiao recently admitted that he isn't actually "angry" with Floyd Mayweather jr. for the flat-lined fight, and that he's simply more "disappointed" at the P4P contender. This position is quite different from the one the fight public was led to believe when things were more heated. Great to see that cooler heads have prevailed, but what I'm really curious about now is the lawsuit itself. Within only a few days it went from "messy", to "messed up", to flat out "missing". Clearly this move from anger to disappointment was that of a humble man, but should we consider the lawsuit an arrested development altogether at this point? Stay tuned to find out!

Nate Campbell/Victor Ortiz: Old-school Meets New-School

Rumor has it that Florida native Nate 'Galaxxy Warrior' Campbell will be put in the ring real soon to face the fighter many saw as tomorrow's 'Goldenboy', Victor Ortiz. Team Ortiz seems to be happy about this fight, but despite Campbell's recent inactivity, I think I'd bear to differ, here. Ortiz is the same fighter that stood in the ring after testy showdown with Marcos Maidana and questioned whether or not he "deserves to get beat on that way". If nothing else, Campbell is one of the most grueling, gritty contenders in the sport today. Ortiz has solid power, but if he fails to get Campbell out of there early, no question, it'll be a long night.....one filled with many lessons from the teacher to the pupil. Stay tuned.

Herschel Walker: Oldie-But-Goodie

Ok....Brett Favre, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins have been long known as the '3-Horsemen', able to withstand the test of time and the rigors that come along with it in grueling sports. After holding down the fort for quite some time, one of the greatest athletes in history has recently decided to add his name to the mix. Without doubt, Herschel Walker won't compete to their level of supremacy in the sport of his choice, and neither should we want him to, but despite the relative youth of his opponent, it was pretty intriguing to see him compete at a high level and do it with great ring knowledge as he got the nod over Nagy last Saturday in South Florida. There's no knowledge of whether or not he will continue to compete, as this mission was initially scheduled to be a solo one to answer the question of his ability to compete. Now that he's proven his point, it'll be interesting to see what his future holds. Job well done, Herschel!

'Bad' Chad (Dawson) 'Good' Chad

With the country of Haiti getting relief from all over the world, the sport of boxing has recently tossed its name in the mix as well. Connecticut native, 'Bad' Chad Dawson has found enough goodness in his heart to give back as well. Dawson has launched what he calls "The Champions Challenge" and with the help of other fighters in the sport, it could prove a very fruitful endeavor. One that could deliver the goods to those most in need. Stay tuned.

Manny Pacquiao Profile

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao born December 17, 1978, more commonly known as Manny Pacquiao, is a Filipino professional boxer.

He is currently the WBO World welterweight champion, Ring Magazine light welterweight champion, and is rated by Ring Magazine as the number 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

He is also the former WBC World lightweight champion, WBC World super featherweight champion, IBF World super bantamweight champion, and WBC World flyweight champion. Furthermore, he is the former Ring Magazine featherweight and super featherweight champion.

Joshua Clottey Profile

Joshua Clottey (born in March 16, 1976 in Accra, Ghana) is a Welterweight boxer who hails from Accra, Ghana, but now lives in the Bronx, New York. He is the former IBF Welterweight Champion.